The wall was hard against his back. He knew it would make his muscles ache after a while, but he didn’t care anymore. He rested his head against the wall and stared at the ceiling. She had stopped crying. She was between his legs on the floor with her face pressed against his chest. The only sound or movement from her was the shuddering of her breath and a quiet sniff every now and then.
He stroked her hair, letting the monotony of the action soothe his nerves. She was awake but hadn’t said anything in ages. He had to explain things better, make her understand she had nothing to be ashamed of. None of this was about her, and it never would be.
“It all came out wrong, darlin’.”
She snorted a sharp laugh. “Really, I thought you handled it brilliantly!”
She shifted but made no attempt to move away from him. He took it as a good sign. “She made a lot of mistakes. Got in with the wrong people. It wasn’t her fault.”
She sat up and looked at him. “You really think that I would blame her for being…” She took a deep breath. “For being raped. I would never do that.” Logan said nothing, and she snuggled back into his chest.
“She would have explained this better. I don’t know what to say to you. She was using the drugs as an escape. She’d been through a lot and didn’t handle things well. A lot was going on. We’d lost someone, and all been through the ringer. Things weren’t as clear then as they are now. The Brotherhood was more prominent. I know there was no FoH, but the government made up for that. Mutants are more accepted now. It was a lot to deal with and a lot to fear. I guess she figured ignoring it was better.”
“Did he hurt her?” Her voice was quiet and girlie, like she was five again.
“No. It wasn’t violent. She didn’t even know until a few weeks later. He gave her a load of drugs.”
“Date-rape?”
“Yeah.”
She sat up and faced him. She looked into his face, and he could see she was steadying herself for something.
“I know how you feel about mum. So why didn’t you just kill him?”
“Becks…”
“No, tell me. There must have been a reason to stop you. I mean, let’s face it, you have a serious impulse control problem.” He chuckled, and so did she.
He cupped her face with his hand and smiled at her again. “I wanted to. I really really wanted to, but…I…I was scared. Scared that if you ever found out, you would…I don’t know, hate me for it or think I was just a sick twisted fucker who killed simply because he could.” He dropped his gaze and shrugged.
“Who else knows?”
“Um, Scott, Jubilee, Doc Hank, and the Professor.”
“Will you tell everyone?”
“No. It’s none of their business, never was.”
“I can’t believe they all knew, all this time, and not one of them said anything.”
“They’re our friends. They knew what your mum went through, and they know how much we love each other. It didn’t matter to them about *him*. I wanted your mum, and I wanted you too so did she, more than anything.”
“What about James? Didn’t that change things?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Not a bit. You’re the first, kid.” She gave a weak giggle.
“How did he know?”
“Your scent. It’s a little different from mine.” She put her face back in his chest and nodded. She hated that more than anything, that she didn’t smell like him. She knew how important scent was to him. He lifted her face back up to look at him. “But you still smell of me, and you always will. I’m on your skin, you’re still my Becks. You got that, kid? You’re still mine?” She nodded weakly.
“You’re not sick or twisted. You’re a good man.” She took another deep breath and tried to hold onto her emotions again, but the tears started to fall anyway. “I love you, daddy.”
He pulled her into him again, and she began to sob. He held onto her as tight as he could, never wanting to let her go. Never wanting to hurt her again. “I love you, too, darlin’. I love you, too. Always have. Always.”
A soft rumble through the wall signalled that the Blackbird was landing. Which, Logan figured, must have meant that a good hour or so had passed. She lifted her head as she heard the jet. She wiped over her face, took a deep breath, and stood up. Turning around, she smile and offered him a hand up. “Gotta help the old man.”
He smirked and took her hand. “Not so much of the old, kid.” He smoothed out his jeans and wrapped an arm around her. “Come on. Let’s go see Chuck. Then I can get your mum back.”
They walked out into the metal-plated corridor to find Scott and James waiting for them. James was sitting on the ground, and he stood up when he saw them. He immediately went to Becky and grabbed her into a hug. “You ok?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
He looked at his father and then back to Scott. “No one is telling me anything. What happened? Don’t I get to know?”
Becky rubbed his arms, smiled, and shot a quick glance at Logan. “It’s nothing amazing: an affair that ended badly. Mum made a mistake, a big one.”
He looked at her quizzically, as if trying to assess whether or not she was lying. His senses weren’t as in tune as his father’s, and Logan hoped that he wouldn’t pick up on the lie. James smiled and hugged his sister again, then turned to Logan. “Can we get mum back now?”
“Indeed you can, young James.” The Professor had rolled into the corridor behind them and heard the last part of the conversation. ‘Ro and Jubilee were with him. “Scott, did you find anything?”
“No, there was nothing registered to the SUV plates or under Palmer’s name. I can’t trace him.”
Charles continued to the far end of the hall and used the retina scanner to open the circular door that led to Cerebro. “I will need at least thirty minutes.”
“Yes, sir,” Scott replied just before the doors slid shut. Scott noticed the confused look on Logan’s face. “I called him while he was en route, explained.”
“Ok, let’s suit up.” He walked past Becky and James and headed for the locker room. Becky began to follow him, he noticed immediately. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not! No way, Becks!”
She squared up to him. “I have every right to be there. Her being my mother won’t cloud my judgement anymore than it will her being your wife. I am part of this team now, and you don’t get to say when I go and when I don’t.”
“Really, don’t I? You, young lady, will do as I tell you are told. I’m your…” He stopped himself, his face falling, and she smirked at him.
“Father? Yeah, you are…but you’re not my boss!” She strolled past him into the locker room, letting the swinging door smack him in the back as she went.
He growled and then smiled at what she had said. He saw James’s expression and shook his head. “Sorry, you’re too young and don’t have a handle on those claws yet. You’re more likely to skewer yourself.” He walked to him and put his hands on his shoulders. “Stay here with Chuck. We’ll get her back.” James nodded and leaned back against the wall.
Logan could tell from the boy that he wanted to come, but the relief poured off him when Logan said no.
Exactly forty-five minutes later, Becky, Logan, Scott, Hank, Jubilee and ‘Ro were in the jet and heading to the edge of New York. The Professor gave them Marie’s exact location and said that she was alive and scared. He was also able to have a brief look inside her head. There weren’t many people guarding her, and he felt it wasn’t necessary to involve the rest of the team. By the looks of it, they were there to hand her over to someone else.
Logan felt nervous. Night had fallen, and it provided a reasonable amount of cover for the jet. Scott piloted as usual. When Charles had come out of Cerebro and calmly told them that Marie was in the basement room under the Statue of Liberty, Logan had felt sick. Jubilee had sworn profusely, and Scott and ‘Ro just looked ill.
Storm provided enough fog for the jet to land on the water, just like she had done all those years ago. Logan hoped that this episode would have the same happy ending: Marie alive and in his arms. Hank and Jubilee stayed with the jet.
Entering through the museum, they were cautious, spreading out and scanning the rooms carefully. They found several unconscious security guards. One had been killed, but the others were simply knocked out.
As they entered the lower levels, all hell broke loose. A group of armed men scattered around them and opened fire of the X-Men. Logan managed to pull Becky behind a stone pillar as the gun fire started.
Scott took out at least three of the men with his optic blasts, and ‘Ro managed to electrocute one. Scott shouted to Logan and Becky, “GET THROUGH TO MARIE. WE’LL HOLD THEM HERE!”
Logan grabbed Becky’s hand and ran towards the exit. The room Marie was in was through a long corridor. They ran through some doors and down the dark corridor, Becky in front of him. Logan was taken completely by surprise by a hail of bullets directed at them both. Becky dove into a doorway on one side of the corridor, and Logan went down, three wounds in his back.
“GO!” He weakly got to his feet as she ran. She heard more gunfire and the unmistakable sound of his claws springing free. She wanted to stop and cry, but ultimately knew that she had to keep going.
She came to the end of the corridor, her adrenaline pumping loudly through her. She could feel her heartbeat in her chest as it threatened to break through her skin. Ploughing through the double doors in front of her, she had two options: go up the spiral stairs marked ‘To the Torch’, or down another dimly lit corridor to what looked like a large well-lit conference room.
She chose the conference room as the Professor said she was under the Torch. One wall of the room was glass, the bottom half frosted and the top clear. She got as close to the edge as she could and took a quick look in. The room was completely empty apart from a small table and one chair, three men in suits, and Ethan Palmer.
Two suits were by the main door, one leaning against the back wall looking bored, and Ethan sat casually on the table with his feet on the chair eating an apple.
She crouched low to the ground, so she was hidden by the frosted glass. She took some deep breaths and tried desperately to steady her nerves. It was harder than she thought. She wanted to forget that the scum holding her mother hostage was actually her biological father and that he had abused her mother and got her pregnant.
Taking another deep breath, she steadied herself. She let her mutation take over, the blue iris of her eye spreading and consuming her eyes in a similar way to Storm’s. They shone like pure crystals.
With a flash of blue she created a security guard and crashed him into the main door of the conference room. The two suits by the door immediately tried to jump and restrain the man. The struggle spilled out into the corridor.
Becky got to her feet and backspin-kicked one suit; he fell unconscious. She cleared her eyes, and the fake guard disappeared in another flash of blue. The other suit looked puzzled and never spotted her as she knocked him on his ass and punched him out.
The third thug from the room grabbed her from behind and dragged her into the disused room. She flung her head back and hit him in the face, making him let her go. He pulled out a gun to shoot her, and she quickly put her shield up. The bullet was absorbed into the invisible barrier, the only visible evidence of it the slight ripple where the bullet hit as if it were liquid. Her eyes filled with blue again as she created a copy of herself. It appeared behind the man and kicked him in the back.
He fell forward, dropping the gun. Becky’s copy disappeared as the real Becky grabbed the gun. She was about to shoot him, but Ethan kicked the gun out of her hand in time for the suit to grab her and hold her still by placing the gun to her throat.
“I have to say I’m impressed, little thing like you getting this far.” He was arrogantly flicking imaginary dirt from his clothes as he spoke.
He was about to say something else when two men dragged Logan into the room. He was barely conscious and had his hands cuffed behind his back. She immediately noticed the suppression collar around his neck, secured at the back by a big padlock. “Well, this makes things a lot more interesting, doesn’t it, baby?”
The men that had dragged him in dropped him on the floor; he let out a loud groan, obviously in serious pain. His face was bruised and swollen, and she noted at least two gunshot wounds to his stomach. All she could think was, at least he’s conscious and alive. She could hear gunfire, the distinctive crackle of lightning and optic blasts in the distance. “You two go finish off those freaks.” He leered at her. “I can deal with her.”
She struggled in the man’s arms, but it was no use. “Uh-ah. Don’t be a silly girl.” She froze, trying to think of a way out of this. “So, Rebecca, isn’t it? Tell me about yourself.”
She spat her words at him. “Fuck you!”
“Or don’t. Choice is yours.” He chuckled and walked over to Logan.
He grabbed Logan’s jacket and pulled him up so he was kneeling. He pulled Logan’s head back by his hair and got right into his face. He glanced at Becky. “She’s pretty.” He smiled at Logan. “So tell me. How does it feel to have me fuck over both women in your life?”
“Like she said asshole, fuck you!” He barely had enough energy to speak, but he managed it.
“Thought as much.” He stood up and kicked him in the stomach. Logan doubled over, his forehead on the concrete, wheezing in pain.
“Dad!” She struggled as a thought came into her head. Her eyes turned blue, and she put up her shield. She had never done it with anyone close and hoped her plan worked. It did: the shield knocked the man over and the gun out of his hand.
She quickly grabbed the gun off the floor and shot the suit as he got up, just one bullet in his shoulder. He slumped to the floor, wailing in pain. She immediately turned the gun on Ethan.
“Think you can handle me now?”
He put his hands up in defence and took a step back from her. She glanced at Logan; he had got back up on his knees. His was profile to her, and she could see his wrists were bleeding where he had struggled and cut the skin.
He looked at her, anger and pain in his eyes. “Kill him! Now!” He knew he was asking a lot of her. She had never been forced to take a life and he didn’t want her too, but if she stopped long enough to try and get the collar off him, Ethan would have a chance to run, or hurt her. The later wasn’t an option as far as he was concerned.
“We need to know a few things first. Where is she?” He didn’t say anything, and she made her eyes go blue. Logan smiled, as he smelled Ethan’s fear increase. “Where is she?”
“In the Torch, up the stairs.”
“Why?” Her eyes still shone blue, and it had him fearfully mesmerised.
“Because she reined five years of my life! I went to prison because of her!” He pointed to Logan. “He shattered my jaw and I had to have it pinned back together and then plastic surgery to cover the fucking scars. I’m not a nice person baby, and I like the idea of getting paid for it.” He chuckled at the last part.
“By who?” She was breathing heavily, her nerves beginning to get the better of her. She inwardly shook herself, she couldn’t and wouldn’t panic now.
“I don’t know who the fuck he was. Old guy, helmet, cape, liked the sound of his own fucking voice.”
She glanced quickly at Logan. “Magneto?”
“Yeah.” He was struggling for breath.
“Why’d he pick you?”
“Heard me sounding off about hating mutie freaks like *you*, asked me why I hate them, so I told him about your mother. Mad fucker nearly died laughing, said if I decided to have my revenge he’d make it worth my while. Wasn’t going to….. but he’s a very motivational speaker! He hates her almost as much as I do. Apparently ruined a lot of things for him as well, made him a little bitter.”
He chuckled again and Becky shivered. “You’re a sick bastard!”
“Sticks and stones baby, sticks and stones! Your friend Magnet or whatever his fucking name is the sick one, I mean come on, having someone whacked on the top of the Statue of Liberty at exactly nine o’clock a t night, that’s more than a little twisted! But hey moneys money.” He put his hands in his pockets and leant casually against the glass wall. “He told me where to find her and I did the rest myself” He sounded so smug and satisfied with himself.
“Your sick. Your just nothing. A sick nothing!” She was desperately holding onto herself. She wanted to shout, to scream and cry. She had come from him and she could help but wonder what horrible part of him she had buried away inside her somewhere. “You ruined her life first! You drugged her…..”
“Becky!” Logan could see the anger in her and he wanted her to stop before she said something she would regret.
“You… used her, raped and got her pregnant. YOUR NOTHING!”
Ethan stood up straight and looked Becky up and down. “Pregnant? I never knew about that. She had a kid huh?” He looked at Logan and then to Becky again. He smiled and chuckled. “Oh, its all falling into place now, *Rebecca*. Not a name I would have chosen. So, wanna catch a game of crazy golf, how’s school?” He laughed a full genuine laugh, which made her want to be sick. “And to think, before you shot my man over there, I was gonna give your old man a little show, see what was on under all that leather. Guess I can’t do that anymore, wouldn’t be right would it, but then I doubt you’re as accommodating as your mother was.”
“SHUT UP, just shut up! Don’t you dare talk about her like that!”
Logan heard her shout and was trying to hold onto consciousness. The wounds to his stomach were working their way through his organs and slowly he was shutting down, but he would hold on, he would hold on for his girls.
“Haven’t you ever wondered, why she did it? I didn’t force her to take that shit, she did it willingly, paid for it on occasion. And as for raping her, nah, she never said no. never screamed or shouted…” He took a step toward her. “She never begged me to stop or fought me off when I undressed her, spread her milky white thighs and ….”
“SHUT UP!” She looked at Logan again, then turned back to Ethan. She had the gun pointed at his chest. She raised it slowly so it was pointed at his head. It started to shake slightly in her hand.
He smirked at her. “You can do it, can you, baby?”
She stopped shaking, hate, anger and revulsion filling her entire being. She looked him up and down; this piece of shit had given her life.
“You’re right. I can’t.”
*****************END OF PART ELEVEN
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Gamma. My head spins and she stops it!
Summary: “Really, don’t I? You, young lady, will do as I tell you are told. I’m your…” He stopped himself,....
Summary: “Really, don’t I? You, young lady, will do as I tell you are told. I’m your…” He stopped himself,....